Grant Writing Certification Online – Does someone wanting to become a grant writer has to have online grant writing certification? As you know, grant application process always start with the proposal. Some individuals or non-profit organizations may choose to write their own application, while others prefer to rely on the skills offered by grant writers.
Grant is basically free money you receive from the government, foundations or nonprofit organizations. Since it is free money, there is no obligation for the awardees to repay them. However, in general the competition for the grant is quite fierce, with many of the applicants going home empty handed. The basis of the judgment that will decide whether you are eligible for the grant often relies on the form of application, etc. That’s where grant writers’ skills come in handy.
Grant Writing Certification Online Opportunities
Believe it or not, there are many courses available that offer you the opportunity to learn the skills that can be useful during the grant application process. These programs are very popular, especially the ones offering online classes. Typically they taught you about the right format and style for different grant applications.
In terms of certification, there is actually a foundation called the American Grant Writers Association that provides such certification process. The certification is made in order to provide some kind of a proof that the person has proficient skills in proposal writing, budgeting, grant researching and ethics. Should you be interested to become a Certified Grant Writer, you should take their exam since the term is trademarked under their wings.
However, it is very important to know that the American Grant Writers Association don’t provide grant writing certification online. They are all OFFLINE, so you have to come in person at the day of the examination.
That being said, you can still take up their online courses. The association provides both offline and online training courses that can help you to understand more about grant application and the best way to write the proposal for the client. The online course cost some money, of course. However, the study is self-paced and you also get free certification exam.
The program is perfect for staff from nonprofit organizations, native tribes, or even the government agency. By knowing what the grant provider look for, grant writers can really help these individuals, nonprofits etc to get the money they need.
Back to the Grant Writing Certification Exam. During the examination there will be three sessions, divided by five sections. The first session focuses on the grant research, code of ethics and proposal writing. Meanwhile, the second session is focused on testing the budgeting ability of the person. Last but not least, the last section will require you to write some samples.
In our personal opinion, we believe that the certification is important if you are planning to make a career as a professional grant writer. However, if you are currently working in a nonprofit and are looking for a way to learn to write a great grant proposal, you can just learn about it yourself. You don’t have to spend extra dollars to become a certified grant writer unless you’re going to offer your service to other people.
References:
- American Grant Writers’ Association – http://www.agwa.us/
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